How A New Hire Survey Can Improve Your Hiring Process
In your career, and in life in general, you’re probably consistently asked to provide feedback, which enables continuous improvement. As an HR professional, it’s your job to make your organization as valuable and efficient as possible, starting with your HR processes. In order to continuously improve recruiting, hiring, and retaining employees among other tasks, feedback is needed. One of the best ways to get feedback is by asking your employees to fill out surveys. Your employees have experienced the different processes in one way or another, and they are the ones who will be able to give you honest recommendations for enhancing the processes for their peers. The different surveys applicable to human resources include new employee, benefits, training and development, employee satisfaction, workplace evaluation and an exit survey. Surveys provide responses that are a product of personal experience or the vision of what someone would hope for, giving valuable insight on making something better. That is why a new hire survey would be valuable in providing feedback for making the onboarding process, new hire program, and the work environment as effective as possible.
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Survey Guideline
Asking your employees to fill out a new hire survey gives a voice to your employees making them feel respected and enables you to review your new employee orientation program. Your survey should be administered and taken online. This way, results will be able to sync with your payroll and HR software, including your employees' file. Keep the survey short, no longer than 15 minutes, and to the point. Give employees the ability to not only rate their experience but to shape future processes. Directly ask employees to identify changes they’d like to see in the onboarding and new hire process. Asking brief but relevant questions by tailoring them to mirror your unique onboarding and new hire processes will attract the highest quality answers. With too many questions, your employees will become disengaged and won’t want to think in-depth about every single answer. You want your audience to share as much detail as possible, so try to include open-ended questions. Multiple choice and rating scale questions are helpful too. You’ll be able to see what the most popular answers are from only those select answers. Survey your employees at the right time whether that’s after their first day, the first week, 3 months, or even at all those points. If you wait too long, the process won’t be fresh in the employee’s mind and they might forget their recommendations.
Questions to Include
The following are examples to include in your new hire survey.
Which delivery method of training do you feel is most effective for incoming employees? (lecture, written documentation, online access, telephone conversation, other)
Was the new hire given the necessary information and resources they need to succeed in his/her new role?
Did the employee’s supervisor or manager provide the new hire with clear job expectations?
Did the new hire feel comfortable and welcomed into his/her team or role? Why/Why not?
Do you feel confident you’ll succeed in your position after completing the new hire program? Why/Why not?
How long should orientation last and why? (1-4 hours, 1 day, couple days, 1 week, other)
How could we improve our onboarding process for incoming employees?
What training's should be kept in the orientation (vs. reading on their own time)? (Policies and procedures, company’s mission statement, company’s vision statement, sexual harassment, other)
Survey Follow Up
Managers or supervisors should follow up after every survey. Whether it is via email or an in-person conversation, find out if the employee needs more training and then discuss action steps and a timeline for the training. When managers communicate openly, they create trust and respect between both parties. Quarterly performance reviews are another good way to accomplish this.
What To Do With The Results
Capture actionable insights to address the elements of your processes that need improvement. Once the surveys are completed, analyze each survey independently and cater answers to each employees’ needs. Look at all new hire surveys to get the average responses and take appropriate action based on the results. Keep in mind a new hire survey should never be your organization’s only orientation effort. Training, getting to know coworkers, filling out important new hire documents through Onboarding software, and other activities, should be a part of the larger new hire orientation process. After conducting new hire surveys, consider asking for feedback regularly, more than just your annual employee performance review.
Applicant Tracking System and Onboarding Software
A new hire survey isn’t the only valuable tool that will improve your hiring process. Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and Onboarding software both efficiently simplify the hiring process. A good ATS will help you communicate effectively with your applicants, gain important hiring analytics, and customize the hiring workflow to fit your needs. An exceptional onboarding software will allow you to assign and monitor new hire tasks and ensure a seamless transition from new hire to an employee. See how Dominion can streamline your hiring process. Request a demo below.
